Casa De Mi Padre Archives - ShowBizCafe.com

We’ve been talking about this movie for almost 8 months now and the first trailer for ‘Casa de mi Padre‘ starring Will Ferrell in an historic all Spanish speaking role is finally here.

The comedy, which is told in an overly dramatic telenovela style (yes, the same ones from Telemundo), is going to be spoken fully in Spanish with English subtitles. Ferrell had to learn Spanish in one month for the role. For all intents and purposes, this is a Spanish language movie with the best actors from Mexico in Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna.

Ferrell plays Armando Alvarez who has lived and worked on his father’s ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando’s younger brother Raul (Diego Luna), shows up with his new fiancé, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul’s success as an international businessman means the ranch’s troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul’s business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico’s most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

Rounding out the cast are Pedro Armendariz Jr., Hector Jimenez and Adrian Martinez.

Will Ferrell’s participation in the project is not entirely based on his connection with the material. Rather, he was embroiled in a pending lawsuit against Gary Sanchez. Ferrell’s participation is part of a closed-door settlement between both parties. Further details were not disclosed.

Matt Piedmont directed the movie, which is set for release this year. Ferrell is producing with his Gary Sanchez Prods. partners Adam McKay, Kevin Messick and Jessica Elbaum. Also producing are Emilio Diez Barroso and Darlene Caamano Loquet of NALA Films, which is fully financing the film.

Will Ferrell isn’t the only American white actor to act in an all Spanish film. Michael Cera will be doing the same for a movie with Sebastian Silva from Chile and Matt Damon recently revealed in an interview that he’s looking to work with Pedro Almodóvar soon.

New York (USA), February 10 (ShowBizCafe.com) – Michael Cera, one of the most popular young actors in Hollywood, will head to Chile to film a movie completely spoken in Spanish with Chilean director Sebastián Silva (The Maid) very soon.

The news has surprised more than one, including us. The revelation came at the hands of Puerto Rican filmmaker Miguel Arteta, who directed him in the very funny and intellectually stimulating ‘Youth in Revolt’. According to the director, Cera is in intensive Spanish classes. “He’s spending six hours a day to learn Spanish. He follows his own heart,” says Arteta who was quoted by the website The Playlist.

The criticisms on Michael Cera, whose last film was ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,’ is that he always plays the same character over and over again. This high concept project would give him the opportunity to shock the industry and prove his versatility. However, asking an actor who has never spoken Spanish, to be fluent in a language that is not his for the duration of an entire film, is perhaps asking too much. The expectations are tremendous and the pressure to not ruin the language or puncture the ears of the Latino audience is enormous.

Cera is not the first comic talent to cross-over to the Hispanic world. Will Ferrell has already agreed to act in the soap opera parody ‘Casa de mi Padre’ with Mexican icons Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. Let’s hope for the best that these projects are quality comedies worthy of attracting more attention to the US Hispanic landscape.